"Let me think... When was the last time you contacted me? The Abyss mutation investigation from two hundred years ago? No, it should be..."
"Two hundred and thirty-seven years ago," Uther gently corrected:
"Your memory is still as precise, but your sense of time is a bit confused, which is normal."
"Hah, indeed, it’s easy to get time mixed up while asleep in the Specimen Library."
Gould shook his head with a wry smile, but his eyes were unusually sharp, closely observing the state of Uther’s virtual image:
"However, old friend, your current situation doesn’t look very good. Given your present life energy intensity..."
"Indeed," Uther admitted candidly:
"So let’s get straight to the point. I need your help, Gould."
"Tell me about the situation first," Gould’s expression became serious.
"It’s regarding a very special healing case.
The patient is Eve of the Crown Clan, Cassandra’s daughter, suffering from an extremely rare Demon Devouring condition..."
Uther detailed Eve’s condition and the treatment plan that was about to take place.
Gould listened quietly, occasionally nodding or frowning.
When he heard that multiple historical projections needed to be summoned for a joint treatment, his expression became even more grave.
"Demon Devouring... Rebound on the rule level..."
Gould pondered, his fingers lightly tapping the parchment book in front of him, making a subtle "tap-tap" sound:
"This is indeed a case worthy of study. If an effective treatment method can be found, it would be of great significance to the development of healing studies."
"However," he shifted the conversation, his gaze passing through the mirror to Ron:
"What interests me more is this young man beside you. Let me guess... Primordial Wizard? And following the Path of Truth? No matter what era, few dare to do so..."
His tone carried a hint of curiosity.
"Exactly," Uther nodded in confirmation, and explained their treatment plan in detail, finally concluding:
"Ron will play a key role in this treatment. His Favor possesses extremely high purity."
"Interesting... very interesting..."
Gould seemed like a Collector who had discovered a rare specimen:
"Come here, young man, let me take a good look at you."
Ron walked to the front of the mirror, immediately feeling a sense of being deeply scrutinized.
"The purity of soul is indeed very high... and..."
Gould suddenly widened his eyes, an expression of surprise on his face:
"What is this? There are some qualities in your soul structure that I have never seen before... like some kind of natural balancing mechanism..."
He paused for a long time, seemingly trying to understand the sight before him:
"Extremely rare, even in my thousands of years of knowledge, it’s extremely rare.
This trait allows you to maintain relative stability when facing various erosion... No wonder you can walk the Path of Truth and still have such high soul purity."
Upon hearing this evaluation, Uther’s eyes showed an understanding expression.
Obviously, what Gould sensed was precisely the trait that allowed Ron to maintain his sanity throughout the cultivation of "Star Eater’s Ravings."
"Alright, I roughly understand the situation now."
Gould withdrew his scrutinizing gaze, sitting upright again:
"Regarding the treatment plan, I agree in principle to participate. The research value of Demon Devouring is indeed high, and moreover..."
He glanced at Uther, his tone softening:
"An old friend asking in such a way, I indeed have no reason to refuse."
"However," Gould’s tone shifted, becoming serious:
"Before we formally begin, I want to first understand this young man’s... historical literacy."
"Historical literacy?" Ron was somewhat puzzled.
"Yes."
Gould’s tone became solemn, like a teacher delivering a crucial lesson:
"The path of a Wizard is full of choices, and history is the best teacher.
Only by truly understanding past successes and failures can one make wise decisions at future crossroads."
He paused, adding:
"Especially for someone like you, a Primordial Wizard, this understanding is even more crucial.
The Path of Truth means greater freedom, but it also means greater responsibility."
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy.
The shimmering frequency of the runes slowed down as if even the walls were listening to this important conversation.
"I will recount three real historical events," Gould began to say:
"Each involves significant choices faced by the Ancient Alchemists we mentioned earlier. You need to tell me what you interpret from these histories."
The mirror began to display some vague historical scenes, images from the distant past.
"The first event: Lady of Blood Selena’s final experiment."
The scene showed a slender female figure standing in the center of a massive laboratory.
Surrounding her were numerous pieces of intricate Alchemy Equipment, and many glass containers holding unknown liquids.
"You should know from the tomes about Selena’s achievements — a pioneer in Bloodline Studies and organ transplantation, saving countless lives."
Gould’s voice became deep:
"But the final part of the historical record is often intentionally overlooked.
In the final stage of Selena’s life, she attempted to create the perfect artificial bloodline to solve the problem of bloodline conflict."
The scene shifted, showing deeper within the laboratory a gigantic cultivation tank, with a human-like yet not human creature floating within.
"The experiment was indeed successful.
She created an artificial life with a perfect bloodline, an existence capable of being compatible with the bloodline traits of any race, theoretically a solution to all bloodline conflict issues."